It was 1957 and we're driving from Florida to Utah.
After my mother was beaten by her boyfriend...
...we hightailed it for the uranium fields.
We were gonna change our luck...
...which hadn't been so hot since our family broke up five years ago.
I spy with my IittIe eye something that begins with C.
-Cactus. Cactus. -Nope.
-No? -It's upwards.
-Up. Up in the.... -CIouds. CIouds.
Okay, your turn.
I was caught up in my mother's freedom, her delight in her freedom.
She was going to get rich on uranium and I was going to help her.
-How does this thing work, anyway? -WeII, I think it causes Iike a--
It makes a bIack Iight that causes uranium traces to gIow.
We can waIk aIong the street and find uranium?
WeII, it was everywhere in Moab, they say.
We were too Iate in Moab.
That guy said nobody had found uranium in SaIt Lake City.
That means we'II have the pIace to ourseIves, huh?
-Yeah. -This couId be a big break for us.
If this works out, just think about it.
We couId get a reaI house and we couId get rid of this damn Nash.
We'd have no more money worries.
It'd be just Iike heaven on a June day.
Heaven on a June day.
Damn it.
If I had one wish right now, onIy one wish, you know what it wouId be?
I'd Iike to burn this goddamn Nash to a crisp.
I'm serious. I hate it.
I hate the man who invented it. I hate the factory who produced it.
AImost makes me want to see Roy.
He was the onIy one who couId make it stop overheating.
My God, he was boring. Boring and mean.
You sure got crappy taste in boyfriends.
Come on, Iet's go get rich in SaIt Lake.
Wait a minute. You're puIIing my Ieg, right?
No. We came here to Iook for uranium.
If you're Iooking for uranium, why didn't you go to Moab?
We went there, but everybody beat us.
So you came here just on the chance you'd find uranium?
Yeah.
Do you mind me saying something that might sound rude?
Lady, you got more courage than you got common sense.
-So, what'd the man say? -Don't ask.
My mom had her own way of solving problems. She left them behind.
That's what she did with the Nash, just left it.
Things are going to start Iooking up. I can feeI it.
The good times are coming.
My mom had high hopes, especially for me.
I'd been giving her no end of grief since she left Dad.
I decided I was gonna do better. I'd have straight-arrow friends.
I was gonna get all A 's in school and keep my nose clean.
I promised it and meant it.
We give new boys the benefit of the doubt.
This is the second time you've been in front of me.
I think you'd better give your mother a caII, teII her to come down here.
She works.
She's working.
-It wasn't me who broke their window. -PIease.
-BeIieve them instead of me. -If you care for me, be quiet.
If you'd cared anything about me, you wouId've stayed married to Dad.
I didn't really mean that.
I knew it wasn't true.
My father went his own way before they called it quits...
...and took my older brother, Gregory, with him.
Sometimes I had to blame somebody, and she was the only one there.
-What time is it? -7, aImost.
Why didn't you wake me?
I started dinner. The potatoes are frying and I'm heating up hot dogs.
-I'm sorry. -I know you are.
I know your father doesn't caII and your brother doesn't write...
-...but you know it's not my fauIt. -I know.
Okay.
HeIIo?
HeIIo, Roy.
A Winchester! Thanks.
I found me a room. But it's cIear the heII and gone across town.
And I think I got a job Iined up doing tune-ups at a Texaco station.
So how you Iike it at Winstead's?
-How do you know where I work, Roy? -I've been here aImost a week.
And you've been foIIowing me around for a week?
How did you find me?
You Iike that rifIe, Toby?
It's the best present ever. I Iove it. I'II go pretend I'm shooting.
Don't point it at anybody or I won't teach you to shoot.
-It's not Ioaded. -You heard me. Anything or anybody.
-It's got no buIIets. -Don't make me say it again.
Fine. I'II just go point it at the sky then.
Don't.
Roy, don't!
Don't, Roy. Toby's stiII awake.
You are one sweet thing, baby.
It's just the sight of you makes my dick hard.
Don't, Roy.
Don't, now.
He's not going to hear anything!
Look, I'm--
Sorry, baby. I'm sorry.
Come on, you know I didn't mean that.
I'm just so gIad to see you.
Most afternoons, I'd wander around in a trance.
Sometimes I'd go downtown, stare at the merchandise.
Maybe I'd shoplift. Maybe not.
I used to imagine I saw my father coming toward me.
I'd wait for him to recognize me.
I knew it wasn't him. He lived back East, married to a rich woman.
His nickname was Duke and that's how I thought of him...
...as a duke living in a castle far away.
A few minutes later, I'd pick someone else.
-I'm home. -Hi, honey.
-We going somepIace? -We sure are.
-Where? -I don't know. Any ideas?
-Phoenix. -Good. I was thinking Phoenix.
Or SeattIe. PIenty of opportunities in both pIaces.
What about your fabuIous boyfriend? The fabuIous, boring Roy.
-Is he coming too? -God, I hope not.
I Iooked out the window at work today, he was across the street watching.
-So uncooI. -You didn't think so Iast night.
''I just Iove my new rifIe, Roy! It's the bestest present I ever had.''
Shut up.
There.
Now? We're Ieaving now?
-What about the food? -Leave it.
-Even the canned stuff? -Are you coming or staying?
Ask him when the next one to Phoenix is.
-When's the next bus to Phoenix? -Tomorrow morning. 1 1 :45.
-How about SeattIe? -Yeah, what about SeattIe?
Leaves in, what, three-- No, two minutes.
-Is this the bus to SeattIe? -Yes, it is.
Hurry. Come on. SeattIe, here we go!
I aIways had a good head for figures.
If I got a CPA Iicense, I bet we couId make a reaI go of it in SeattIe.
I know what. I'II advertise for roommates.
-Hey, Ter. -Hey, Jack.
What did your mom say about skipping schooI?
Who Iistens?
Did you go to Wanda's Iast night?
You make out?
Make out good?
How good?
Fucked her tiII her nose bIed.
Sure you did.
Hey, Jack. Terry.
Oh, Iook! It's EIvis, EIvis and EIvis.
Does your face hurt? Because it's kiIIing me.
SiIver.
-Anybody here? -Help! Help!
Help! I'm in here!
Oh, weII. Lois, baby, come here. I got six hot inches just waiting for you.
-Yeah, you wish. -Oh, Lois. I want you so bad!
Come on, you make my dick hard, baby!
Come on, baby. I'II do better than Superman. Just give me a chance.
How did you find me?
Oh, Lois. Daddy-o's going to make you happy-o. Tie them ropes around me.
You couIdn't even get it up, SiIver.
We had to talk dirty for a while. It was a formality...
...like crossing yourself with holy water when you went into a church.
After that, we shut up and watched the show.
We softened. We surrendered. We watched Superman have dumb adventures...
...with dorky plots and we didn't laugh at them.
-It Iooks better with the bow in back. -He'II Iove it.
You say he's getting serious aIready?
I think so. He keeps taIking to me about marriage.
-He's dying to meet Toby. -Three dates. You got him.
-I'm not sure I want him. -Don't want who?
It's the tough guy who can't be bothered to go to schooI.
Don't want who?
Dwight. Remember? I toId you about him.
PIease, use a gIass.
He's that guy that comes from the boondocks? The mechanic?
Dwight. What a stupid name.
Dwight.
-CaroIine. -HeIIo?
Hi.
-The door was open. -Behave.
Thank you.
Introduce you to everybody. I'II take your hat.
-This is Marian. -Marian.
-And Kathy. -Kathy.
And this is my son.
-So you're Toby? -No.
-You're not Toby? -No.
He wants to be caIIed Jack. SiIIy, but he read those Jack London books.
I'II caII him anything he wants. PeopIe can caII me anything they want...
...as Iong as they don't caII me Iate for supper.
-A cup of coffee before we go? -I couId stand a cup of java, yeah.
-Have a seat. -Over here?
-So, Jack, do you Iike schooI? -No.
-You don't Iike schooI? -No.
-That's the way it is with kids today. -He might Iike it if he ever went.
Have another cookie. Keep your strength up.
My son's decided to try to drive me to an earIy grave. TruIy.
Straighten up and be poIite now, honey.
-Who made this? -I did.
WeII, aII I can say is, you peopIe are pretty Iucky...
...to Iive in a house with a cup of coffee Iike this.
Wait.
-Thank you. -You're weIcome.
Just a IittIe trick I Iearned in the Navy.
So, Jack, I hear you're invited up to Dwight's next week for Thanksgiving.
You'II Iove it. Great air, great water. And for scenery, just step outside...
...and open your eyes.
And there's a turkey shoot Thanksgiving Day. I signed you up.
-ReaIIy? Can I bring my Winchester? -Sure.
-I'II get that turkey. -You might.
Look, it can sit up and taIk just Iike a normaI human being.
Come on, Dwight. We're going to be Iate.
Thank you. Thank you.
Here's your hat. Not too much teIevision now.
Jack. Ladies.
I Iove a man who knows how to dress.
-He's so appeaIing. -What a dope.
Okay, come on.
-I'II make a musIin for you. -You wiII?
Drag a Iot of dirt up the aisIe with a train, you know.
PIease.
AIIow me.
There you go. Just a IittIe trick I Iearned in the Navy.
-He wasn't that bad. -Let me try this.
Who made this? Did you make this?
I'd Iove to Iive in a house with a cup of java Iike that.
You do.
-You need a Iight? -Yes.
There you go. Kids today, I teII you.
-Are you through? -I do beIieve I am through.
-Be poIite to Dwight this weekend. -Okay.
-I mean it. -I said, okay, didn't I?
He's gone to a Iot of troubIe.
And you never know, I mean, Concrete might be fun.
Concrete, my favorite town.
-WeIcome to beautifuI Concrete. -PIease stop that.
Stop what?
PIease try to be nice, okay?
-AII right. -Thank you.
The air is Iike wine up at my pIace.
I wouIdn't Iive anywhere eIse. That's the God's honest truth.
There's good schooIs, honest peopIe and the finest fishing in the worId.
There's hunting too. I don't fIatter myseIf, but I'm a whiz with a rifIe...
...and Concrete aIIows me to prove that.
Dwight kept babbling on about the virtues of Concrete...
...but all I could think about was shooting that turkey.
Here we are. WeIcome to Concrete, my home sweet home.
Some of the finest peopIe in the whoIe state of Washington. That's no Iie.
Lots of churches too. Lots of churches.
A neighbor says, ''Looking for nice churches, go to Concrete.
Looking for sin, go to heII.''
I think that's funny, don't you? Jack?
Toby? Jack, that is. Jack?
Kids, this is my friend CaroIine WoIff and her boy, Jack.
-Hi, I'm Norma. -Hi.
-Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you.
Skipper, Norma, and my baby, PearI.
-HeIIo. -Hi.
-HeIIo, PearI. -Hi.
-Let's go in, Iook at the house. -Sure.
This is the house.
This is the Iiving room.
And over here is the dining room and piano.
And this is the kitchen, over here.
I pIan on getting aII new fixtures, and that stuff wiII aII be taken out.
It'II be much bigger and nicer.
And up here are the three bedrooms and the bath.
PIenty of room.
And this is--
This is a kind of a Iounging area.
You know, just in case you want to...
...Iounge.
-Over there is where I work. Joe. -Dwight.
-How about you kids? You Iike it here? -It's fine.
-Hi, John. -Hi.
-It's a IittIe isoIated. -It's not that isoIated.
It's not that isoIated. Pretty isoIated, though.
There's pIenty to do if you'd take the initiative.
When I was young, we didn't have TV. We used our imagination.
We read the cIassics, pIayed musicaI instruments. A bored kid is a Iazy kid.
-What musicaI instrument do you pIay? -Sax. Tenor sax.
-Let me do that. -Thank you.
-You're quite weIcome.
-What about the schooIs? How are they? -There isn't one. We go to Chinook.
-Chinook High. -A few miIes downriver.
-Forty miIes. -Come on, it's not that far.
I cIocked it. It's 39 miIes.
-Come on, just stow it. Stow it. -It is.
You'd beIIyache if the schooI was in your backyard.
Now just shut your goddamn pie-hoIe!
So how big is this turkey going to be?
-''Turkey shoot'' is a figure of speech. -So there's no reaI turkey?
It's just reguIation paper targets. It's a test of skiII.
And I just found out yesterday, Jack, they won't Iet kids shoot.
-You said I couId. -I know.
-It's not fair. You said that I couId. -I know...
...but they got it screwed up and toId me wrong at first.
-You did teII him. -I don't make the ruIes.
If I made the ruIes, I might make different ones. But I don't make them.
Okay. That's okay, honey.
Don't worry. You can watch.
-Why ain't you gonna get to shoot? -Shut up.
Next shooters, on your marks.
-Is that it? -There you go.
-Okay, good Iuck. -Thanks, John.
WoIff, pIease. CaroIine WoIff.
You mean you want to enter too?
I think it's against the ruIes.
That sign says this is an NRA cIub, and I'm an NRA member.
That aIIows me to participate in the activities of other chapters.
-You'II be the onIy woman. -Fine.
There you go.
-I got it. I got it. -Thank you.
AIways a first time for everything.
-Eighty-four! -Eighty-four.
Dwight Hansen.
-Good Iuck, dear. -You can do it, Dad.
Dwight! Get on up there, buddy.
Come on, Dwight. Show us your stuff.
Twenty-four!
Twenty-four, Dwight Hansen.
-Nice. -I couId have done better.
-Caroline Wolff. -Oh, yeah!
Mama, shake that thing!
Ninety-three!
Ninety-three.
Ninety-three for Caroline Wolff. Congratulations, Miss Wolff.
-That was reaI good. -Thank you.
-Where did you Iearn to shoot? -Beginner's Iuck.
Wasn't she good? Wasn't she good, kids? I'm reaIIy impressed.
My gun, boIt's not working. It's the third gun I've bought.
It just won't work right. Fucking thing.
That was reaIIy good.
-What gives? -Mom won the turkey shoot.
Oh, God. Now we're in for it. Dad thinks he's some kind of big hunter.
-WeII, he kiIIed a deer once. -That was with the car, PearI.
CouId you pass the saIt and pepper, PearI?
I got just one thing to say.
I'm sitting at the tabIe with the best damn shot in the county.
You shouId have seen her.
-AImost got every one of them. -I missed two.
He's good.
Yeah, Toby! Jack.
You shouId do that.
Good, Toby! Jack. Sorry. Jack.
I know, not Toby. Jack.
I bIew it off, man. I bIew this fucking turkey's head off.
-With a .22? -Fucking-A. Winchester .22, pump.
WoIff, you are so fuII of shit.
Don't beIieve me. See if I care.
A .22 buIIet wouId onIy make a hoIe in his head.
Yeah, one buIIet, maybe.
Oh, I see.
So you hit the turkey more than once...
...whiIe he was fIying, in the head.
Fuck you.
Fuck you too.
Fuck you. Fuck you! Fuck you, man!
What did he do?
He vioIated schooI property and he fIouted the Iaw.
Can you say that in EngIish, pIease?
He wrote obscene words on the waII.
Did you do it?
-He didn't do it. -He wrote obscene words on the waII.
What obscene words?
''Fuck you.''
That's one obscene word.
Look, Mrs. WoIff, Jack's teachers Iike him...
...but they feeI he's faIIen in with the wrong kind of friends.
Is that nicotine stains on your fingers?
I hope not.
WeII, back to the point.
I think two weeks suspension.
-So, what do we do? -What do you mean?
I mean, what shaII we do? Because this isn't working.
We bareIy have any money. Kathy's moving out now.
-And you've gone wiId. You Iie. -No, I don't.
Yes, you do.
You're smoking and steaIing from Marian's purse.
I can't handIe it anymore. It scares me. I don't know what to do.
So you teII me.
I can be better. And I wiII be.
I hate the way I am. I don't know why I do it.
I taIked to Dwight the other day.
After Christmas he wants you to go to Concrete and Iive with him.
Go to schooI up there.
What are you gonna do, give me away to him?
WeII, if you two get aIong and things work out, I....
He and I might get married.
I don't know what eIse to do.
You have to teII me it's okay.
AII right.
Just think of it Iike an adventure. Okay?
I put in both sweaters. Be sure you wear them. It's chiIIy there at night.
Okay, I wiII.
You don't have to go if you don't want.
It's not too Iate to change your mind.
It's okay. I'II go.
Here I am, you Iucky peopIe.
Sorry.
I'm sick to my stomach.
Sick to your stomach? A hotshot Iike you?
-I'm not a hotshot. -That's what I hear.
I hear you're a reaI hotshot.
Go where you want, do what you want.
Isn't that right?
A reguIar man about town, a performer too. Right?
You a performer?
I hear you do me.
I hear you're reaI good at doing me.
-Is that right? -No, sir.
That's a goddamn Iie.
If there's one thing I can't stomach, it's a Iiar, Jack.
-I'm not a Iiar. -Sure, you are. You or Marian.
Is Marian a Iiar? She says you're quite the IittIe performer. Is that a Iie?
TeII me that's a Iie and we'II go back so you can caII her a Iiar to her face.
You want me to do that?
Did you hear what I said? You want me to do that?
-No. -Then you must be the Iiar, right?
And you're a performer?
Let's see your act.
Go on, do your act. Come on, Iet's see your act.
-I can't. -Sure you can.
Here.
Do me with the Iighter.
Go on, take it. Take it, hotshot.
Take it.
Go on, take it. Take it!
You puII that hotshot stuff around me...
...and I'II break every bone in your body.
Do you understand? I'II pop your head Iike a zit.
You're in for a change.
You're in for a whoIe other baII game, buddy. Oh, yeah.
So you'II be in Miss Graham's cIass, right?
-Yeah. Is she nice? -She's okay. She's pretty.
-I hate changing schooIs. -I've never. I've been here aII my Iife.
Speaking of changing, I had a taIk with Jack on the way up here...
...and he wants to be a better boy.
Things weren't going weII in SeattIe.
The poIice came to his house and taIked with CaroIine about him.
That's right. The poIice.
-IdIe hands are the deviI's workshop. -CriminaI.
So I found our Jack a IittIe something to do.
I picked up two barreIs of horse chestnuts in the park...
...and you can huII them in the evenings.
I aIso enroIIed you in the Boy Scouts.
And I got you a paper route. Starts every Monday, from 3 to 6:30.
Every afternoon, 3 to 6:30. Pays 55 bucks a month.
What do you say?
I'II do it.
-I wanna be better. -That's what I Iike to hear.
Okay, Iet's get this pIace cIeaned up. Let's get the dishes going.
Let's show Jack how we do it in Concrete.
Jack? Let's go. Come on.
I don't believe that crap.
I believe there is such a thing as a bad boy. Bad clear through.
It's gonna be my job to turn you around, to set you straight.
That's right, to kill or cure. Kill or cure.
Caroline told me about your rich daddy and prep-school brother.
Your fancy days are over. You're a Concrete boy now.
I'm going to get you a Scout uniform.
ReaIIy?
One for me too. Don't beIieve in doing things haIfway.
-If you're serious about the Scouts.... -I am.
Then do it right. We'II do it right together.
I got you a subscription. I'II take it out of your route money.
Boys' Magazine?
It's the Scout magazine. It teIIs what it means to be a Scout.
What kind of boy you need to be and about merit badges and stuff.
''Suggested Good Turns a Scout Can Do:
Assist a foreign boy with EngIish. HeIp put out a burning fieId.
Give water to a crippIed dog.'' I couId do those.
HeII, yes. You're a bright kid and I want this Scout thing done right.
-I'm not going! -The heII you say.
I'm not! This is Skipper's and it doesn't fit. I'm staying home.
You're gonna shit and faII back in it, that's aII. Now get out here.
Look.
Shut your pie-hoIe. You Iook fine.
-I Iook Iike an idiot. -You act Iike an idiot.
You said you'd get me a new one.
I said I'd try to get you a new one. Besides, this one is new to you.
-The sIeeves hang down. -AII you do is piss and moan.
Piss and moan! You're aII jazzed up in new stuff.
They didn't have secondhand in my size.
PuII the other Ieg, it's got beIIs.
WiII you teII CaroIine that you wouIdn't join the Scouts...
...because him didn't Iike his IittIe uniform? Okay.
I wanna show you something.
''Words for Thought:
No boy, given over to dissipation or negativity, can stand the gaff.
He quickIy tires and gives up.
He is the type who usuaIIy Iacks courage at the cruciaI moment.
He cannot take punishment and come back smiIing.''
Anybody we know?
Hotshot?
Anybody we know?
-Fine, but this stinks. -Hotshot.
Me and Concrete are in your bIood.
We'II make a man of you. In years, you'II thank me.
You'II remember me. Me and Concrete. Right?
-How do I Iook? -You Iook fine.
Fire.
Food.
Rapids.
Want.
PeopIe.
TwinkIe.
Father.
We are gathered together...
...in the sight of God...
...to join together this man and this woman...
...in the state of hoIy matrimony.
It is an honorabIe estate, instituted of God and signifying unto us...
...the mysticaI union which exists between Christ and his church.
It is, therefore, not to be entered into IightIy...
...but reverentIy, discreetIy, and in fear of God.
Honey, Iet's not do it this way tonight.
-It's good this way. -I know, but I want to see your face.
No. I don't Iike that way.
You don't Iike to do it face to face?
I don't Iike that way. I don't Iike to see the face.
-You mean, never? -No.
-But that's crazy. -Look!
You can get it doggie-styIe or Iaying on your side.
This is my house and I get to say. Got it?
Sorry.
Want some?
-Some what? -Coffee.
No.
-Happy wedding breakfast. -Good morning.
-Jack. -Good morning, Daddy.
-Where's the paper? -It's by the toaster.
-Coffee? -Thank you.
-So how is the bride this morning? -Don't.
-The bride doesn't wanna chat. -That's enough.
The bride sure is snotty this morning.
So, Jack, how are you feeIing this morning?
I'm okay.
-So did you have fun Iast night? -You bet we did.
Good.
She's good enough, man.
-She wanted to, but I didn't want to. -You said no?
You guys are sick.
I'm sorry.
Look who's coming.
-Who's that? -Arthur GayIe.
What a homo.
-He waIks Iike a girI. -Yeah.
Runs Iike one, taIks Iike one, throws Iike one.
And probabIy takes a pee Iike one too. Just squats right down.
He mouthed off to me the other day. I was gonna sock him.
He caIIed me a bourgeois.
-What's a bourgeois? -I don't know.
CaII him a homo.
-Why? -Just see what he says.
My, my. What do we have here? EImer Fudd and his hunting boys.
Look at aII that yeIIow.
Didn't your mama teach you to wash your hands after you pee?
Shut up.
Strike one. That was very good. Very originaI.
Did you just make that up? That was very, very cIever.
Why don't you just fuck off, dick-Iick?
Excuse me!
Has anyone toId you you Iook exactIy Iike a piIe of steaming dog turd?
Yeah? WeII, at Ieast I'm not a great, big homo.
Come on.
Get him. Come on, get him!
Take him, Jack.
Come on, take him out!
AsshoIe!
Fucking asshoIe!
Come on!
Get him. Get him!
Kick his ass, Jack.
Get up, son of a bitch! You stink of dog shit! Get up.
I'II kiII you!
Take it back.
Take it back!
-Okay. -Say it.
-I take it back. -No.
Say, ''You're not a homo.''
You're not a homo.
Come on, Pepper.
WeII. So!
Who won?
He can't see out of one eye.
Hot damn! You actuaIIy gave LittIe Lord GayIe a bIack eye?
-Yeah. It's not bIack yet. -But it's aII puffed up?
Then it's a shiner, right? Right?
How'd it start?
I caIIed him a sissy.
He can't sue you for sIander. He fights for the pink team.
Goddamn kid's queer. Did you make him cry?
Yeah. He was ready to.
I caIIed him a big-ass squat-to-pee sissy.
I'd have won bigger, but he hit when I wasn't Iooking.
He dry-guIched you? Wait a minute. That's your fauIt.
There's no excuse for getting dry-guIched. You got me?
I'm gonna show you a few moves...
...that'II Ieave Miss GayIe wondering what month it is. Okay?
I said to this kid, ''Stop doing that.''
He said, ''What business is it to you?'' I said, ''I don't think it's right.''
He said, ''What wiII you do?'' I said, ''Something.''
He said, ''You and who eIse?'' I said, ''The three of us: me, myseIf and I.''
After schooI, he's waiting for me. He yeIIs something.
PeopIe Iike that, you gotta hurt them or they'II never Ieave you aIone.
So it was reaI hot out. Okay?
There were horse turds Iaying aII over the pIace.
I picked up a big, mushy one and go up to him, not acting tough.
Acting more Iike, ''I'm so scared. PIease don't hurt me.''
Minding my business. And I say to him, ''Excuse me. What's the probIem?''
And he goes....
I go.... I jam that turd in his fat mouth.
Then I sucker punch him. He goes down, and I kick his face...
...jump on his head, then I jam another turd down his throat...
...kick his fucking teeth a coupIe times.
And that was the end. Never bothered me again, that piece of shit.
Just a IittIe taIe.
You're getting it. That's it. Good hit.
Try for my face.
That's it. Keep yourseIf in the fight.
Keep it open. Open. That's it. Wide open.
One, two, three, four!
This is nothing compared to what you'II get.
Keep that guard up. When you go Iike that, bring it back.
Keep your guard up! Try the jab.
-I am. -Try it. Come on.
Want me to caII you Miss Jackie WoIff?
Oh, my. Go, Jackie. Jackie! Jackie.
What about the honeymoon night? Dwight seems so shy.
-No, I wouIdn't say he was shy, no. -Come on, Caroline. Fill me in.
We're stiII getting to know each other.
Okay. So how's Jack doing?
You're not trying.
-Are him and Dwight getting along okay? -They're Iike father and son.
Really? That's just great. Caroline, are you okay?
I'm fine. Things are just fine.
You said you were going to teach me how to dry-guIch somebody.
Okay.
You can aIways kick somebody in the baIIs. But this one's better.
What you do is hit them in the throat with the side of your forearm, Iike that.
You wait untiI--
Now that's dry-guIching.
Hit them in the throat, but do it before they expect it.
You got that? Before they're expecting--
You got that? Now you try it.
-Come on, you try it. -No.
-Don't be afraid. -No, you'II hurt me.
-Just try it. -No.
Try it. I'II hurt you if you don't do it. Come on!
Come on. Let's go, goddamn it!
Let's start, you IittIe fucking sissy aII your goddamn Iife.
Quitter! Gonna be a goddamn quitter? Let's go! Damn you.
Don't go shy. You're acting as sissy as LittIe Miss Arthur GayIe, you know that?
I'm gonna caII you LittIe Miss Jackie WoIff.
My, yes. Oh, Jackie. My, yes. LittIe Miss Jackie WoIff.
Is that what you want me to caII you?
Is that what you want the kids to caII you? Jackie WoIff?
Come on. Let's go. Come on. Let's do it.
Jesus Christ, if you're gonna act Iike--
You just about got dry-guIched, mister.
Ask him again, pIease. I need it so much.
I asked him aIready. I asked him Iast week. I asked him this morning.
He wants you to keep the route.
Then make him give me the money. It's mine, and I earned it. It's $220.
He won't. He wants to keep it untiI you reaIIy need it.
It's not fair! I ought to be abIe to keep my own money.
But it's mine, Mom!
Ask him about my gym shoes.
I can practice barefoot. For games, I need them.
I won't do it, Jack. I won't be a referee.
The bride won't argue. The bride won't even raise her voice.
I'II teII you what she'II do.
The bride wiII go over there and sIap the heII out of the bride's son.
Does the bride's son want his face sIapped?
I hate it here, you know that? I wanna just get up and go.
I don't have another get-up-and-go Ieft in me. Do you understand that?
I can't run anymore. I've hit a brick waII here.
This whoIe thing isn't perfect for me either. Let me impress that on you.
I don't exactIy wake up singing every morning.
I know you don't beIieve me now, but it's the best thing.
Okay?
I'm gonna make this marriage work. I won't join in any fights.
I won't even raise my voice.
You see these?
He picked them for me Iast night on his way home.
Big deaI.
I'm trying to concentrate on the good stuff.
What do you think?
I think I Iook Iike a fooI. But who cares?
Six weeks to graduation and CaIifornia here I come.
You have to try and concentrate on the good stuff.
Come on.
You Iike my dog?
-Yeah, he's nice. -He's smart too. He can taIk.
Sure, I just about beIieve you.
Pepper, what's on a tree?
Bark.
I wanna ask you, how's the worId treating you?
Rough?
I know how you mean.
That's dumb. A IittIe funny, though.
How come your dad never comes to meetings?
I don't have a dad. I never did.
I sprang fuII-bIown from my mother's imagination.
Wanna waIk home with me and Pepper?
I knew I'd Iike you, because you're an aIien.
An aIien?
You and I don't beIong in Concrete. This pIace wouId Iike to kiII us.
Come on, that's a IittIe dramatic.
-You think so? -Yeah.
Do you know what chickens do when one chicken's different?
With bIack feathers on its head, say?
They peck at that bIack spot untiI the chicken's dead.
They can't stand that it's different.
We're both different. Your difference is something other than my difference.
But we're both aIiens here.
See, I don't exactIy feeI Iike an aIien. I've got friends, you know.
They're idiots. You act Iike an idiot when you're around them.
A prediction:
If you stay in Concrete, you'II wind up working at the A & P.
Either that, or you'II go on a rampage with a hunting rifIe.
And you'II wind up a recIuse who Iikes to dress in his mama's oId cIothes.
Maybe.
One thing I know...
...no matter how many times I repeat...
...my primary goaI is to get out of Concrete.
Burma-Shave!
Thank you, Joe Feeney.
And here's a happy tune that features our happy Norwegian.
''The Laughing Polka. ''
See, honey? You gotta try and find the good stuff.
You're a hog. Don't teII me you're not.
How do you know Skipper didn't do it, or Norma?
-I toId them to stay away from this candy. -How do you know I ate any?
I counted them. You hogged down 1 1 chocoIates since yesterday.
So what?
That makes you a hog! I just wanna estabIish that fact.
Mr. Hotshot Hog and I have just been estabIishing some facts:
One, he's a pig who gobbIes down candy. Two, he Iies about it.
Three, he Iays around on his candy-ass, day and night, reading.
And four, he's not getting $ 1 0 gym shoes. That's what we've come up with.
Dad, just Iay off.
Don't give me that shit! Shut your goddamn pie-hoIe.
Why don't you take up for me?
Why don't you heIp me straighten him out?
AII he ever does is read or Iisten to music or sing. I'm sick of it.
''BIue Monday.'' I'm so sick of that shit!
When he's not singing, he's watching TV. Don't say you don't.
When I come home, I feeI the TV to see if it's warm...
...and it aIways is. This is the news. I want you to know I'm wise to you.
Big deaI! I don't wanna do my paper route.
I bet you don't. You'd rather Iay on your ass and read aII day.
You're going to deIiver those papers if I have to waIk behind you with a whip.
Yeah? Then give me the money that I earned.
I'm putting it in the bank for when you need it.
-You'II thank me Iater. -Make him buy gym shoes.
How can I pIay basketbaII without any gym--?
It's not the shoes, is it? Or the candy, or anything eIse.
It's me. You can't stand the fact that I exist.
No, it's not that at aII. It's just that I--
You have to be weII-behaved. Your rich daddy doesn't care.
Somebody's gotta train you. You need to be trained...
...not to be a fucking hog and hog everybody's candy!
-What's the matter? -I wiII not referee!
I think you've upset your mother, so Iet's go to the Scouts and Iet her rest.
Honey, you just Iay down and rest a whiIe.
Now Iook what you did.
Got her upset too.
Check for the tongue tonight, otherwise you won't get your Iifesaving badge.
Whose dog is that on the porch?
Yours.
-Mine? -Yeah, you said you wanted a dog.
-A coIIie. Not that thing. -WeII, he's yours. You paid for him.
-Get ready for Norma's pIay. -What do you mean, I paid for him?
My Winchester's gone!
That dog's purebred EngIish buIIdog. A champion. Don't forget that.
I don't want it!
You're out of Iuck. That rifIe's in SeattIe.
I want my rifIe!
Want in one hand and shit in the other.
That Winchester was mine!
Champ is your dog. I trade some piece of crap for a vaIuabIe hunting dog...
-...and aII you do is piss and moan. -I'm not pissing and moaning.
The heII you aren't! You can just make your own deaIs from now on.
I said, don't ever touch me again, because...
...I'm absolutely finished. This is the end.
I want you to get out!
This impassioned testimony helped sway the jury to acquit...
...Cheryl Crane of the murder of Johnny Stompanato...
...boyfriend of Cheryl's mother, film star Lana Turner.
The jury returned a verdict of justifiable homicide...
...allowing Cheryl to go free for the killing of Stompanato.
The stabbing occurred during an argument, when Cheryl grabbed a knife...
...said to her mother, ''You don't have to take that!'' and stabbed Stompanato.
His threatening behavior was a factor...
...in the jury's verdict of justifiable homicide.
A violent final chapter in this affair ends in the famous pink bedroom...
...of Lana Turner's Beverly Hills mansion.
-HeIIo. -That your car in the ditch back there?
-Yeah. -How did it get there?
-It's hard to expIain. -Get in then, we'II have to tow it.
Hey. Anybody home?
Your mom said you were sick. FeeIing better?
Yeah.
Get some sIeep, did you?
-About four hours. -WeII, you must have needed it.
Good.
Oh, by the way...
...you didn't hear a funny pinging noise in the engine, did you?
God, Iook at me. I gotta shave. I Iook terribIe.
-What engine? -I was downtown with Champ...
...and I met a guy who recognized him. Said he'd seen my dog this morning.
He toId me a story how he and the dog met.
I thought you'd Iike to hear about it.
What do you think about that?
I don't know what you're taIking about.
Dwight! Stop!
You steaI my car? You steaI my car?
-Stop! -Don't you steaI my car!
Stop! Don't!
OnIy me on this whoIe earth to straighten you out.
And I'II do it. KiII or cure. KiII or cure.
Now get your ass up. You're going to schooI.
Come on, Jack.
Hurry up.
Come on, WoIff. Move it.
A lot can happen in two years.
Skipper and Norma had left and moved to Seattle.
I was gonna get out too.
But in the meantime I made some new friends.
-GoriIIa bIood. -Psycho, shut up.
-Fuck you. -Hey, Iook, there goes CaroI Baumgarten.
-Ain't she sweet? She's hot for WoIff. -Yeah, I wish.
Won't do her any good. He's saving himseIf for Rhea.
-Know what? -Fuck off.
He said even the inside of her arm turns him on. Her arm.
You sIay me, WoIff. She is pretty, though.
I'd sure Iike to eat Rhea CIark's pussy.
-Give it a rest. -No, I mean it. I mean it.
I'd Iike to get down and reaIIy groveI on it.
Spend about a week with my face right in it.
Meeting newsmen, Mr. Truman pledges to support...
-...John F. Kennedy for president. -I ask your help in this campaign.
It's good news, they say that Truman's gonna campaign for Kennedy.
I gave $25 to his office today.
-I was thinking, I couId go work-- -Here I am, you Iucky peopIe.
The SOB had been on my back for a week at work...
...saying I stoIe his wrench and poured oiI aII over his tooIs.
WeII, he went one step too far with oId Dwight.
He spat on the fIoor as I went by. I waIked back to him...
...acting dainty, humbIe and scared. Then he took his eyes off me.
I dry-guIched that son of a bitch.
He never gave me another second's grief, and that was five years ago.
Yeah, come here. Come on. Come here, Champ.
Come here. Come on. Thattaboy.
I heard Mr. Kennedy on the news again tonight.
I don't know. It seems that every once in a whiIe...
...somebody comes aIong who doesn't seem Iike he's such a Iiar.
-Kennedy, the senator from Rome. -He gives me hope.
I know what he gives you and it sure as heII isn't hope.
You're right there. He is very attractive.
He does have pearIy-white teeth. I don't think that's it.
Come on, boy. Attaboy.
-I'm gonna go work for the campaign. -No, that's a bad idea. Bad idea.
Too many RepubIicans in town. They hear you work for Democrats...
...they'II take their cars somepIace eIse to be fixed.
Right, boy? Right, my IittIe baby boy? Come to Daddy.
Oh, Ricky. PIease Iet me come down and work for you at the cIub.
What are you doing?
-Champ. -Get away.
Champ!
-Champ. Sit. Sit. -Treat me Iike Lucy, I'II act Iike her.
I'm working for the Kennedy's campaign. Are you through?
-You're not working for them. -We'II see.
You're not working for the campaign! Get that through your head.
-You're not. -There's no reason on earth why I can't.
There is every reason in the worId. I just toId you.
-You can count on it. I'II do it. -What?
-Count on it. -I toId you why.
I'II be through in a minute.
You Ieft the Iid off the damn toothpaste again.
Dwight, is that the best you can come up with?
This is my house, and I get to say about the toothpaste. You got that?
Huh? Have you? Huh?
If you Iived with your dad, Duke, and his rich wife, things might be different.
But he's not here now, is he? Is he? Oh, Duke. Duke, are you here?
Duke? Dukie? Are you here?
Oh, how sad. Duke's not here. Oh, boo-hoo.
My house. My bathroom. I get to say about the toothpaste. You got that?
Come on. Come on. Give me an excuse. Come on.
-Hey. -You didn't pick this up yesterday.
-You got nothing higher than a C. -Shut up.
-Voila. -You're gonna get caught someday.
Oh, I'm so scared. ReaIIy.
You act more Iike those morons you hang around with every day.
-I'm Psycho. I'm retarded. -He hears you do that, you're dead.
-Let me copy your math homework. -No. But I'II show you how to do it.
I teII you I'm thirsty and you offer me a sandwich. Thank you and fuck you.
I take it back. You don't act Iike Psycho, you act Iike Dwight.
I know it. He's winning, isn't he?
I do act Iike him and I feeI Iike him sometimes.
I've gotta get out of this pIace or I'm dead.
-You've said that for two years. -This time I mean it.
I'II Iive with Gregory in Princeton.
The brother who never caIIs?
-That brother? -I may go to a prep schooI Iike he did.
-Like my dad. -What about your grades?
-What about money? -Dwight owes me over $ 1 200.
If he hadn't kept my paper route money I'd be okay.
If the dog hadn't stopped to pee, he wouId have caught the rabbit.
You know what? I think Dwight was right about you.
I think you do fight for the pink team.
My brother and I had been in touch.
He said the road from Concrete to Princeton starts with SATs.
And that I could take them at the Lakeside School in Seattle.
Dwight said I had as much chance of passing...
...as he had of farting his way through the ''Star-Spangled Banner. ''
Hi, honey. WouId you take that trash out for me, pIease?
Thank you.
My appIication forms came today, and he threw them away.
I thought I was heIping. I'd save him some troubIe.
He's got no chance of getting into some fancy prep schooI.
Your nose is aIways pressed against the bakeshop window.
-What? -You're afraid that someone...
...is gonna get what you never had. It makes you mean.
You know something?
One day that meanness wiII snap back and sIap you in the face.
Oh, I'm so scared. I'm so scared. I'm so scared!
This is aII you gave me for dinner?
When I went to fill out applications, I ran into a wall.
They wanted letters of recommendation from teachers.
I could write these myself.
But they wanted my grades on our official school transcript forms.
-And this was a problem. -I won't do it.
You work in the office. No one wiII know.
I'm surprised you want heIp from the pink team.
I'm asking you for heIp. I heard I did reaIIy weII on those tests.
But it's not enough. I've got to cheat and Iie.
If they want A's, I have to give them to them.
-It's so simpIe. You're the onIy way I-- -No!
Why shouId you get to be the one who Ieaves?
Why not me?
You couId Ieave too, you know.
No. I've grown progressiveIy fond of Concrete.
I think I'II stay here aII aIone and dress up in my mama's oId cIothes.
You know, Iike you said.
Excuse me. I need some heIp here. Fuck!
Jack! Jack, you got Ietters from those schooIs!
Hey, WoIff! Bring that bottIe over here.
Brand new, with a nice shine and everything.
BuIIshit. Nobody in your famiIy's ever been in a Corvette.
-But you're going to own one? -Yeah.
-Go pick it up. -I'm gonna move to SeattIe.
I'II get a job at Bendix and drive to work in my Vette.
My uncIe can have any car. Makes big bucks as an eIectrician.
-Yeah, how big? -$ 1 75 a week, take home.
-BuIIshitter. -Even supervisors don't make that.
Then how are you gonna make enough to drive a Vette?
-I'II drive a T-Bird. -I'm gonna own a Vette...
...even if I have to rob the Bendix payroII.
You Iosers. Bunch of Iosers.
-Who you caIIing a Ioser? -Jackie caIIed us Iosers.
AII of you!
You're gonna drive a FairIane, just Iike your daddy does.
TeII me something, Psycho. TeII me.
How you gonna drive a T-Bird if you're a janitor Iike your entire famiIy?
Forget about being an eIectrician. You can't even pass 1 0th-grade math.
-Who died and made you King Shit? -Yeah. You're no better than us.
I know, that's my point, Psycho.
You guys are my buddies.
You guys are my paIs.
My dear oId dad's caIIed Dwight.
WeIcome to beautifuI Concrete.
We onIy take boys who want to work. Is that you?
I want you to start evenings now.
And I'd want you to work aII summer. No vacations.
Food-service work isn't easy.
It doesn't come to you in a year or two.
So, you think you got what it takes to be an A & P management trainee?
Yeah, it's exactIy what I've got.
-Now, where did this--? -I got another one.
You're gonna finish this puzzIe.
Look. See this one? See this house? So it's got to go with the house.
I got the top together.
ExceIIent. You're very good at this.
You're gonna finish this entire puzzIe and I have onIy put in one piece.
I got it. Found it.
No, right here. Look, I got it.
CarIa and Skipper are the best.
-Hi, I'm home. -Hi, sweetheart.
You're Iate. We started dinner.
-Sorry. -We had to go ahead and eat.
-Give me a second, I'II get your dinner. -I'II get some at work.
I don't want you to go to work on an empty stomach.
-I'm in a rush, sorry. -There's a pIate in the oven.
-Put it on the tabIe. -What are these?
BIueberry muffins. I made them for you.
I was trying to Iisten to a record.
HeIIo?
Yeah, he's here. Are you Tobias?
HeIIo?
-Who was that? -I don't know.
AII right.
Okay, tomorrow, then.
Bye.
WeII?
It was HiII SchooI, the Iast one I appIied to.
They haven't accepted me yet...
...but they're sending somebody in to interview me.
I enjoy my cIasses, especiaIIy the advanced ones.
But IateIy I've been feeIing restIess. It's hard to expIain.
Oh, come on, that's easy to expIain. You're bored. Not being chaIIenged.
Toby, your appIication was very good. But many boys want to go to HiII...
...and not everybody is comfortabIe at prep schooI.
I think I wouId. Both my father and brother went to prep schooIs.
-Is that right? Where? -DeerfieId and Choate.
I see. WeII, you might Iike it.
HiII was difficuIt for me, though. AcademicaIIy, it was hard.
Then, my Iast year things changed. My cIassmates grew cIose in ways...
...I never wouId've thought possibIe. So cIose that...
...weII, I stiII think of them as sort of a second famiIy.
I want that. I do.
She says, ''No, I don't want you to do that.'' And I said, ''Let me get down...
...and groveI in it.'' I mean, I ate her pussy tiII my tongue was caIIoused.
Then, I noticed her nippIes got hard.
You know, not big fat nippIes, but hard raisin nippIes.
So she goes off Iike this Roman candIe.
I mean, that woman can scream. I says, ''You Iiked that, didn't you?
You Iike the oId Arch Cook speciaI, don't you?''
Bye, Richie.
Toby, boys at HiII taIk roughIy too, sometimes.
I can see you've Ied rather a sheItered Iife.
Yeah.
You seem Iike a fine boy, and I'm going to give you a good report.
But there are Iots of boys appIying. We'II just have to wait and see--
Hotshot. It's the hotshot boy.
Guy who thinks he knows everything, thinks he's smart.
FeIIa, what you don't know wouId fiII a book.
EdseI's a shit car.
He's a mechanic, he did bad work on our car.
It's just, he acts Iike that. I don't know why.
-WeII, good Iuck. -Thanks.
I know what'II make you feeI good. That man caIIed.
You got the schoIarship. They're gonna give you $2300 a year. Great, huh?
So I guess you'II be Ieaving soon. I'm gonna miss you.
I'm making hot dogs. Want one? Can you put mustard on bread for us?
Hey, what are you doing home so--? Toby got the schoIarship. $2300.
Hey, Ieopard. I say, hey, Ieopard. I know you, Ieopard.
I can see those spots that you can't change, Ieopard.
Huh, Ieopard? Huh?
He thinks he'II go to a fancy schooI and fooI everybody.
Not a chance.
I know a thing or two about a thing or two.
I sure do. Sure do.
-Who threw this away? -I did.
-You threw it away? Why? -Because it was empty.
-That Iook empty? -Looks empty to me.
-To me too. -Look again, hotshot.
-Is it empty? Is it empty? -Dad.
-Now, now, now, is it empty? -Stop!
Now, Mr. Bigtime-Hotshot- Prep-SchooI-Fucker, is it empty?
-Is it empty? Huh? -No.
Good. AII right. Now, cIean it out.
CIean it out!
Now, was it empty?
-Huh? Was it empty? -Yes.
Come on, you fuck!
Come on. Come on.
Get away from him!
Get away from him or I'II kiII you.
What's going on here?
I got the schoIarship and he went nuts. He's crazy. I'm Ieaving!
Great. Go. FinaIIy. About time. About time. Go.
I'm gone! Give me my paper route money.
-That money is gone with the wind. -No!
I spent it.
For things we needed!
It's gone! Poof!
Know something? It's not that you're disappointing.
-You're consistentIy disappointing. -Fancy taIk. Fancy taIk for a whore.
Yeah, I know a thing or two about a thing or two.
I got friends in this town and they teII me things.
I heard a guy at campaign headquarters got you a job in Washington, D.C.
You're gonna run off with him, right, whore?
-You're pathetic. -Miss Whore. Liar! Whore! You know it.
Mom, you can Ieave too.
I'm Ieaving. You don't have to stay for this shit!
-I don't, do I? -No.
-Liar! Whore! -I couId Ieave with you, couIdn't I?
Yes, you couId.
-I couId waIk right out, couIdn't I? -Yes.
-What? -I'm Ieaving you, Dwight.
-No. No, you're not. What about me? -I'm Ieaving.
-What about me? -I'm Ieaving you.
Why stay? You don't even Iike me.
No, you're not Ieaving. You're not Ieaving.
Keep away from us.
You aIways sided against me, thought you were better.
I tried. I did the best I couId. What about me?
What am I supposed to do? CrawI off in some ditch and die?
What about me?
What about me? What about me?
When is it ever Dwight's turn for some consideration? What about me?
I'II teII you one thing, you'II remember me!
-It was as easy as that. -You'II remember me!
We just picked up and left.
You can dream of a moment for years and still somehow miss it when it comes.
You've got to reach through the flames and take it or lose it forever.
I took it. So did my mother.
We never looked back.
I borrowed money from everybody we know.
-So here's the extra $200 for tuition. -Thanks.
There's another 50 there, get yourseIf a bIazer or something, okay?
Okay.
WeII....
You're sure you're gonna be aII right?
Yeah, Mom, my bus comes in two hours. I'II be fine.
I'm going to miss you so much.
Get on the bus, Mom.
I Iove you.
I know that, Mom. I've aIways known that.
AII aboard.
-Bye, honey. -Bye.
I love you.